Improvement in automatic gates



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. FOSTER, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC GATES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHNW. F'os'rER, of the city and county of Racine, in the State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and Improved Automatic Gate for Railroad, Farm, Garden, and other Uses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a railroadgate illustrating my said invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same at x fr, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, partly at y and partly at z, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detached top view of the central connectingboss, hereinafter described. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

rIhe subject of my said invention is a gate adapted to open automatically on the approach of a vehicle, animal, or person which the gate may be desired tc permit the passage of, and again close automatically after such passage.

'Ihe invention particularly consists, first, in the use of gates constructed with what are known as "Jacobs ladder or lazy-tongs, frames Iprovided with live or more pivots for each bar, and working upon aixed intermediate pivot in the supporting-standard near the vertical center of the gate, as will be hereinafter explained 5 second, in a device employed to communicate motion to the gate or gates from a weight applied to any part of the platform; third, in a peculiar combination of levers employed to open the gate or gates automatically.

In order that others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may fully understand and use the same, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A represent parts of a stationary railroad-track.

B is a platform provided with rails b b, which correspond with the rails of the track A A. The platform B rests at its respective ends upon the rollers c' in the outer ends of the levers C C, which are fulcrumed at o on transverse beams D I) or on a stationary bed of any suitable construction. The four levers G converge together at their inner ends, and are there pivoted to a boss, E,which slides upon a vertical guide-rod, F, and iS pressed downward by a spring, Gr.

H H are transverse levers, which are likewise pivoted at their inner ends to the boss E. The said levers are fulcrumed in stationary bearings 7L h, and are at their outer ends connected, through the medium of rods J J ,with secondary levers K K, which are fulcrumed in bearings k k. The levers K K are in turn connected, through rods L L, with levers M M,

which are fulcrumed on brackets in m, proj ect-l -ing from the standards I I. The gates them- The bars N O and N4 O4 support the weight I of the gate, each pair being pivoted at a fixed point, t' or p, in the standards I or studs P. The bars N O are by preference made of metal and are connected to the rods RR, through which power is applied to open and close the gate, as will be hereinafter explained, the said rods R It' being connected to the levers M M on each side of their fulcra m m.

The bars N O and N3 O3 are provided at their ends With projecting metal pins n, which Work in guide slots o in the standards I and studs P, respectively. (See Fig. 2.) The said slots may be boxed with metal.

S S, Fig. 2, are springs bearing down on the outer ends of the levers M, in order to restore the gate to its closed position when released.

By making the attachments of the rods and levers adjustable, as shown at j, k, and lin Fig. 2, the action of the gate may be regulated as required; or the gates may be adapted to operate with a greater or less weight by setting the fulcra c of the levers C farther from or nearer the center.

The operation is as follows While at rest the gate remains in the closed condition represented, and is so held by the pressure of the springs S; but the instant the weight of a locomotive or car comes upon either end of the platform the outer ends of the levers C are depressed, which elevates the boss E, carrying up the inner ends of the levers H, which e sacos draws down the inner ends of the secondary levers K, and elevates the outer ends of them and of the levers M. This bearing upward upon the rods R and downward upon the rods R elevates the ends of the bars N and depresses the ends of the bars 0 in their slots within the standards I, and thereby contracts the gates to the position shown in red in Fig. 2, in which position they remain until the Weight has entirely passed oit' the platform, n

when the springs G and S restore the parts to their original positions.

A gate constructed as above described may be contracted within one-eighth of its ex-- tended length.

I am aware that automatic gates have been pivoted together in the form or manner of lazy-ton gs, and therefore do not desire to be understood as claiming this invention, broadly 5 but a great advantage is found to result from applying the power the both the top and bottom of the gate, and pivoting it at or near its ver tical center.

Among these advantages are: First, the structure is more firm, secure, and durable, second, by applying the power on both sides of the pivot the gate may be operated with less power and friction third, in the event of one of the attachments becoming broken or deranged the other will still suffice to operate the gate.

Any suitable device-such as a projecting pin or jaws-may be employed to protect the gate or gates against lateral strain; or, in case of a single gate being used, the fixed standard or post, against which it closes, may be provided with a latch adapted to automatically catch and hold the gate when closed, and to release the saine by the depression of the platform when it is to be opened.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In an automatic gate of the above description, applying the power to open and close the gate to the ends ot' bars N O,work ing in guideslots 0, above and below stationary points t', upon which the gate is supported.

2. The boss E, working upon a vertical guide-rod, F, and employed, in combination with levers U and H, to communicate the required motion to the gate or gaies from a weight applied to any part of the platform B.

3. The described combination and arrangement of the levers C H K M, connecting-rods J, L, R, and lt', and springs Gand S with the platform B and gate or gates, for thil purposes specified.

JOHN W. FOSTER.

Vitnesses:

OorAvrUs KNIGHT, It. H. MAYHEW. 

